Being stuck was equal parts annoying and interesting.

Annoying because neither of us could spare the additional vacation days from work, especially not Jason, having started a new job just a month before we left. We basically spent the entire time on pins and needles, wondering when and how we would be able to get back home. Early reports emphasized the fact that this volcano erupted for months on end last time, which made for a very unsettling first couple of days.

Moreover, we were a bit sick of Paris by the time we were due to fly home (crazy, I know!) plus not entirely happy to have to spend more money on lodging and everything. And due to the massively increased demand, we couldn’t rent a car to explore the surrounding area, which is a bit of a shame because there were some nice day trips we might have been able to take advantage of.

All the same, some very good things came out of being stuck: my (relatively new) manager was kind and supportive throughout, as was the friend of my parents helping to take care of our house and cats. Jason and I bonded strongly with a few fellow stranded travelers, not to mention one another. We found it amusing how well-balanced our stress reactions were; in other words, when he was freaking out, I was calm and vice-versa.

We were very thankful to have chanced upon a fantastic B&B near the airport, with wonderful hosts who bent over backwards to help us in a variety of ways. Best of all, they invited us over for drinks the last night we were there, which extended into a lovely impromptu dinner. They gave us a gorgeous hardcover book of the town we were staying in (as our hostess is a 4th-generation resident and town mayor), which all three of them signed (including their sweet, shy, handsome son) — all in French of course. So that one exceptional evening, in and of itself, more than made up for the impersonal/harried feeling we got from our week in Paris.

In retrospect, it’s been interesting, having taken part in an historic event — and we have certainly added some cool stories to our repertoire.

And strangely: no, my French did not improve at all, I don’t think. I’m in such a frustrating phase with it, kind of like I am with skiing. I barely ever get to use either skill, and so when I do, I just end up falling flat on my face. Ah well, at least I can still understand when I read and listen to it!

Keukenhof Gardens, originally uploaded by RiseyP.

]]> http://riseyp.wordpress.com/2010/04/27/keukenhof-gardens/feed/ 0 riseyp http://riseyp.wordpress.com/2010/04/27/mauregard-8/ http://riseyp.wordpress.com/2010/04/27/mauregard-8/#comments Tue, 27 Apr 2010 18:18:20 +0000 riseyp http://riseyp.wordpress.com/2010/04/27/mauregard-8/ ]]> .flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }
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Mauregard, originally uploaded by RiseyP.

]]> http://riseyp.wordpress.com/2010/04/27/mauregard-8/feed/ 0 riseyp http://riseyp.wordpress.com/2010/04/21/le-mesnil-amelot-30/ http://riseyp.wordpress.com/2010/04/21/le-mesnil-amelot-30/#comments Wed, 21 Apr 2010 14:36:40 +0000 riseyp http://riseyp.wordpress.com/2010/04/21/le-mesnil-amelot-30/ ]]> .flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }
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Le Mesnil-Amelot, originally uploaded by RiseyP.

]]> http://riseyp.wordpress.com/2010/04/21/le-mesnil-amelot-30/feed/ 0 riseyp http://riseyp.wordpress.com/2010/04/21/cemetery-at-le-mesnil-amelot/ http://riseyp.wordpress.com/2010/04/21/cemetery-at-le-mesnil-amelot/#comments Wed, 21 Apr 2010 10:12:13 +0000 riseyp http://riseyp.wordpress.com/2010/04/21/cemetery-at-le-mesnil-amelot/ ]]> .flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }
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Cemetery at Le Mesnil-Amelot, originally uploaded by RiseyP.

]]> http://riseyp.wordpress.com/2010/04/21/cemetery-at-le-mesnil-amelot/feed/ 0 riseyp http://riseyp.wordpress.com/2010/01/01/things-that-didnt-suck-about-2009/ http://riseyp.wordpress.com/2010/01/01/things-that-didnt-suck-about-2009/#comments Fri, 01 Jan 2010 20:58:16 +0000 riseyp http://riseyp.wordpress.com/?p=234 ]]> Although it has been a trying year, 2009 was also full of some truly memorable events in my life:

• New Years Eve/Day in Amsterdam, followed by an outstanding week introducing my lovey to Paris
• Successfully tapering off the evil antidepressant
• Selling my money pit of a car and “making it work” with public transportation
• Going back to the gym and attending regularly, then finding joy in bicycling and yoga
• Giving up (for the most part): meat, sugar, alcohol, dairy, caffeine
• Losing 30 pounds, and holding steady for 3 months (though it is high time to re-commit now that the holidaze are over!)
• Getting my finances in much stronger shape during very difficult economic times

Thank you 2009 for all the tough love I am more than happy to carry on!

Looking back on my digital life, it occurred to me tonight that some of the first things I ever posted online were poems. Poems of lust and loss that poured out of me as fast as I could post them, not things I’d already written longhand or kept stored on floppy disk. (Because of course that was your average “high-tech” person’s backup solution in 1994. Tee hee.) But yeah, back to the poems. That unexpected, easy willingness to expose myself online rather surprised me.

Then again, when you consider the explosion of websites and apps such as…

• my yahoo
• blogger
• myspace
• flickr
• etsy
• blurb
• twitter

…one of the Internet’s most enduring qualities is its revolutionary broadening of the means, and the potential reach, of self-expression. Of artistry. Of feeling. You know, those things we used to keep locked up inside, while making our living doing the more mundane things the world was willing to pay us for. And someday, maybe if we were really lucky, and tried really hard, we’d ‘get published’ and, at long last, achieve immortality. But now? Au contraire! I literally spend a part of every day sharing something about myself or taking a headlong dive into someone else’s life. And it all happens online, of course.

See, the corner of the web I like best is the one where we all have a voice (and call ourselves ‘writers’, ‘photographers’, ‘artists’, ‘comedians’ or ‘collectors’) as we show off to — and riff off of — one another. It’s funny to think that the celebrities I follow are no longer the ones splashed on billboards and magazines; these days, they’re the ones who craft the funniest/most poignant blog posts, crochet the twee-est baby quilts, take endless photos of men with impossibly ornate mustaches, and so on… *They* are the ‘cool kids’ now

Just this morning, however, I felt an uncomfortable mixture of disdain and desire creep into the shower with me, as I reflected on the new ‘celebrities’ I follow who sell ad space and hold giveaway contests on their blogs. Such a strange thing to do, I thought. Shouldn’t that be considered kind of… I don’t know… uncouth? Like having a corporate sponsor for your wedding? (“And now it’s time the happy couple’s first dance! Brought to you by Kitchy-Brand pressure cookers!”) But as the day progressed and I continued to chew on it, I had to retract my opinion as disingenuous. Making money off ads on your personal website? And how is that different than writing advertising copy for a living? Because you can hide behind the anonymity of the latter? So: better just to be out in the open about it?

Hmph. Sometimes I hate ambiguity They say that women are unhappier than ever these days. They say it may be because we just *care* more. Enough to think twice (or three times or ten) about whether something we thought or did or said was the right thing. It’s all very very complicated, but a big chunk of what gets churned out online represents the space in which we’re hashing these things out, together.

Anyway, this has been my web. (Brought to you by our sponsor, Al Gore It’s messy and it’s weird and it can be ugly at times but, on the whole, it’s still beautiful.

so J & I went on a jaunt yesterday, drove the car (with our handy-dandy, new hitch-mounted bike rack) over to Canada Road out near the junction of highways 92 and 280, and tried a new route along the Crystal Springs reservoir. The weather was perfect: sparkly bright sun and water, warm, and the route wasn’t too tough, despite the hills being slightly more challenging than promised by reviewers (but then again, what idiot rides a single-speed out in nature? oh yeah, me!) i don’t think J loved it, but he was a good sport and took some cool photos.

note: i’m still not near the point where i like seeing photos of myself in short-sleeved shirts, but i hope to get there sometime in 2010. enjoying the ride nonetheless.

I love my new book, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World. Polished off the last mocha cupcake with coffee-flavored “butter”cream frosting tonight And can’t wait to sample the next flavor that catches my eye!

Here’s what I’m making for Thanksgiving:

• Cornbread Stuffing with Leeks, Cranberries and Pecans
• Caramelized Onion and Gorgonzola Mashed Potatoes
• Cranberry Relish (not the actual recipe, but close. I’ve been referring to a well-loved, badly stained, dot-matrix-printed hard copy recipe since 1992)

And please allow me to count the ways in which I’ll insert my subversive, hippie food agenda into the meal:

1. I’m buying a free-range turkey (my mom will be cooking it) for ridiculous amounts of money. Otherwise I just don’t eat meat these days…
2. The cornbread for the stuffing recipe above will be made using a homemade skillet cornbread recipe from Veganomicon, plus Earth Balance and egg replacer
3. I’m making a small portion of the cornbread stuffing just for me, which will be flavored with Tofurky (italian sausage flavor) instead of bacon

All in all, I’m definitely looking forward to it